


Oblivion

by sapph0ria



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ilvermorny, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Ilvermorny, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-02 16:05:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14548359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapph0ria/pseuds/sapph0ria
Summary: "There's something you don't know," he said, sinking against the cold wall of the dungeon. He looked up into Hermione's dark ambered eyes, watching her search his face frantically for answers. The sight of her became clouded as tears pooled. He felt his chest give out and collapse to the concrete. "There's something neither of you know, and it's going to shatter your heart when someone tells you." // Time Travel!AU. Slowburn Dramione. This story is mostly told through four original characters. // Cross-posted on FFN under the same username.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at what's to come.

There was something stirring in the forest under blinding lightning and a dark sky. Harsh wind whipped itself around her, encasing her growing frame in the leftover chills from winter. She trekked along as fast as she could so as to get away from the place she had once called home for many years. That was no longer an option for her, to call Hogwarts home, as there was nothing left for her there. 

Hot tears burned her eyes, but the wind was quick to dry them away. Somehow, it was comforting. In the face of all this madness, at least _something_ was there to hold her and wipe her tears, even if it wasn’t intended that way. Blades of grass and bush scraped against her leg, snagging themselves against her robe. Letting out a huff as a branch cut against her cheek and caught itself in her collar, she quickly removed the heavy cloth and raced forward, one arm held in front to shield her face from the brutality of a storm.

The cold seeped farther into her bones, causing her teeth to hit against each other in a chatter. She was shivering, and she needed to get into some kind of warmth, now. Her body couldn’t keep up much longer with the figure in front. She felt fatigue roll over her, but she had no choice to push forward, even if it meant stumbling over rock and sinking into mud.

“Hurry!” the figure hissed in panic, stopping for a moment to hold out his arm to the girl. “We don’t have much more time!”

A boy. Smaller in size, but larger in life. His presence held one of leadership, of authority, of control. Even now when the world was against them, trying it’s best to shove them back, he stood fearlessly in the face of a storm.

One that they were directly in the middle of, almost taunting it.

“I-I’m… here…” she croaked out, breathing hard and grasping his outstretched arm with all she had. 

“It’s just up this hill,” he shouted above the wind, attempting to be loud enough so the girl with the growing belly could hear. “I know that you’re tired, but please - don’t give up now! Rest will come soon!” His calloused hand gripped the one held tightly on his arm as reassurance.

As his hand fell on her own, she almost buckled in relief.

_Warmth._

As the wind caused the boy’s hair to push out of his face, she was barely able to make out the look he was giving her. It was a look of hard strength, of steely determination… and it was all she needed.

Nodding at him once, the girl carried on, holding on to his forearm as if her life depended on it - and it did.

And so, they continued. Water crashed down on them like hail, it fell so hard that it hurt. She winced in pain as they took one aching step after another, one steep climb then the next, until they reached the hilltop just outside of where the trees no longer surrounded.

Pulling her small frame into his chest to stop her from crumbling to the Earth, he made her look at him as he held up a chain tightly between his fingers. Dangling from the cool metal held a small, silver key. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the hours of sleep she never got, and the sadness laced in her shivers. The storm was still going strong and it took every ounce of strength he had to keep her standing.

“This is your way out of here. It’s a portkey. It will transfer you to the preset destination. Nobody but you and Dumbledore know where you’ll be, not even me. That means that once you’re there, you’re on your own,” he said, his voice gruff and his eyebrows furrowed. The moon offered little light, and he could see the tear stains on her cheeks that could quickly be confused with rainfall. His heart ached for her.

He pulled her hand away from his arm and held her hand open, hesitating for a moment. “This is goodbye for now.”

“So it is,” she whispered hoarsely, chuckling through a pained expression. “So it is.”

He gave her a brief smile, one that she caught in the glimpse of the moonlight. This is how she would remember him: sopping wet, freezing, and determined - all with the hint of a smile. Her heart burned at the thought of leaving him behind.

“Thank you,” she told him, her body shaking and her palm still held out. He nodded once at her, kissed the top of her head, and dropped the key into her palm. Still holding onto the chain, he pushed her fingers to close around the metal.

“Stay safe out there. Both of you.”

He let go of the chain before she could utter another word, and everything faded from her vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for checking the prologue out. I've been toying with this idea for years and am just now getting it into words. The first chapter will be up very soon. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Seph


	2. Midwestern Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As students of Ilvermorny come together, they learn of a project much bigger than themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, folks! The previous instalment, Prologue, didn’t offer much to the story and I apologize for that, but it will become necessary. There are a few things you should know:
> 
> 1\. If you’re reading this on FFN, you should be aware that it is also cross-posted on AO3 which allows me to go more in-depth with the tags and the summary. So, as of now, this story will deal heavily with four main original characters. It will also partially take place at Ilvermorny for a few chapters. It also deals with time travel. 
> 
> 2\. I cannot stress this enough that this is a fic that will eventually see the main pairing of Draco and Hermione. I know that a lot of people support that ship, myself included, but I also know that others do not. If that is not something you’re interested in, I would suggest turning back. 
> 
> 3\. This story will probably be loosely based on the canon stuff. Sure, the general idea will be there and I probably won’t bring anyone back to life if they have died, but the stuff that happens in between where Rowling doesn’t offer much information will be of my discretion, and even then some of the stuff she did explain will be altered. Consider this an AU.  
> I am wholly open to criticism, as long as it is constructive! I want this to be as fun for you guys to read as it is for me to write! Keep me updated on how y’all are feeling about this story!
> 
> Now that this long, icky part is out of the way, shall we move forward?

_A FEW YEARS LATER…_

There was nothing like a Midwest winter.

Snow fell heavily from the greying sky, surrounding the neighborhood in a blanket of white and a deep chill. There wasn’t a single hint of oncoming wind, leaving the leafless trees to stand still amongst the dead of the city. The night had yet to move on completely, but the sky was attempting to lighten and wake the usual rowdy nature of the city but the morning took it’s time to drag forward and begin a new day.

It was barely 6:30 in the morning when a loud, infantile cry carried out of a small home located on Rumio Avenue in Michigan. Inside held a slumbering teenage boy who had learned to sleep through the cries and a teenage girl who nearly collapsed in the hallway after rushing out of her room. Her chestnut hair flew wildly around her tired eyes, causing her to push the strands away and continue on towards the wailing.

Across the hall on the second floor held a small nursery. Softly lit with the presence of a nightlight, the young girl was able to quickly spot the sobbing toddler located in the crib. The child was gripping onto the railing of the wooden crib sitting in the center of the room, keeping himself standing upright. His loud crying came to a pathetic whimper as he saw his older sister.

She smiled softly at the beautiful boy, his white-blond hair sticking out at odd places and his grey-blue eyes vibrant due to the contrasting redness from his sobbing. The first few buttons of his pyjamas were undone and because of his finger in his mouth, slobber shone on his pale chest. He hiccuped a few times and reached out for his sister.

“Oh dear,” she said softly, lifting him out of his crib. “Ri, what’s the matter, sweetpea?” She held the small child in her arms, cradling his head to her shoulder as he rested against her. Knowing he was unable to communicate, she kissed the hair she could reach and carried him out of the room and made her way to the room next to hers, rapping her knuckles against the door.

“Ezra, it’s time to get up,” she called, gently bouncing the toddler clutching to her shirt. When nothing came, she rolled her eyes and knocked harder on the wooden door. “Ezra! Get up! We have to get going!”

A groggy groan followed by a huff of air came from the other side of the door. Satisfied that her other sibling was awake, or at least attempting to be, she walked down the stairs and to the kitchen.

**. . .**

Eleanor Johnson was no stranger to children. In fact, she spent most of her free time around them when she had the chance and simply adored them. However, she had spent the last 20 minutes trying to get her brother to stop fussing and to eat the oatmeal she was offering him. It was starting to make Eleanor frustrated.

The toddler kicked his legs and arched his back, trying to push himself out of his high chair for the tenth time that morning. His breakfast had barely been touched and he was starting to go red in the face with all of the anger a small toddler could hold. He let out a loud screech as Eleanor tried unsuccessfully to feed him and smacked the spoon out of her hand.

Gasping as a spoonful of oatmeal launched itself on her tank top, she gave him a stern look. “Orion Johnson! That is enough!”

The small child simply continued to throw a fit, unphased by the usage of his full name. Attempting to clean up the glob of oatmeal, Eleanor looked up as another boy sauntered his way into the kitchen, completely clothed in his uniform. Eleanor sent a glare his way as he nonchalantly made himself some toast.

“I could use your help,” Eleanor quipped at her brother, gesturing to the toddler who was trying to make his escape from the high chair. 

Ezra lifted his caramel gaze to focus on Orion, raising a dark eyebrow at the tantrum being thrown. “Orion, buddy. Hey.” He walked over and squatted down next to the high chair, becoming level with the small boy. He picked up the toddler sized bowl, narrowly missing the oatmeal smeared on the side.

“Ri, you have to eat. Come on, help bubba out,” Ezra pleaded with Orion as he calmed down to stare at the spoon Ezra picked up and started waving around. “Look, Ri! It’s a plane!”

Orion’s eyes lit up and he giggled through the last remnants of his tears as Ezra pretended to crash the plane into his cheek.

“Ri! Help me! You gotta eat the plane! Yum yum!” Ezra dramatically flew back a few inches as the plane ‘crashed’ into him again. Curving the spoon, he led it straight to Orion’s mouth, who eagerly accepted his mission to destroy the awful contraption.

Sitting back in awe, Eleanor quickly rolled her eyes and scoffed, standing to her feet. A few paces away sat a coffee pot that was obviously well loved. Eleanor made a strong pot of coffee, humming to herself. She watched Ezra continue to tease Orion and grabbed the toast off of his plate, eating it for herself.

“Whatever, as long as he eats,” she told Ezra, glancing at the fridge next to her to see a bright pink piece of paper. “Mom and dad left a note saying they’d be home for dinner. Which means we’ll be picking up Orion tonight.” 

Ezra nodded, barely paying attention as he continued to grin and play with his brother. Hiding her soft smile behind the toast she was eating, Eleanor shook her head and lightly chuckled, making her way to race up the stairs and get ready for the day.

Forty minutes later, Eleanor came back down the stairs dressed in her Ilvermorny robes. She had tamed her hair and it fell in soft waves to the middle of her chest, framing her face nicely. Walking through the kitchen, she pulled out two travel mugs and filled them both with coffee and a dash of milk - one for her, one for Ezra. She set her backpack down next to Ezra’s at the door after slipping the coffee into each of the mesh pockets and made her way to the living room where she could hear Orion babbling.

Already braced for the winter chill, Orion was nestled in his car seat and babbling away to the toys that hung from the handle. Ezra was in the middle of pulling his shoes on when Eleanor walked in.

“Ready?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. Ezra slipped a hat over the curls of his hair, slipped on a heavier coat, and picked up the car seat. “Ready,” he affirmed.

They were the same age, her and her brother. In fact, they were twins, but he still towered a good five inches above Eleanor which she noticed every time he reached around her to take her winter jacket off of the top coat hook to hand it over. Giving a smile, Eleanor slipped her own thick jacket on along with her winter beanie. She reached down to grab their bags, his forever being heavier than her own, and held the door open for her two brothers.

As the three of them stepped into the cool winter air, Eleanor locked the door behind her, able to see the frost from her mouth. She suddenly wished she had put on gloves as she released the freezing metal of the doorknob. She couldn’t imagine how cold the car handles might be.

Ahead, Ezra was buckling Orion in on the driver side, making sure to have him rear-facing so he didn’t have to go through another lecture from his mother. After making sure the baby was securely in the car, he shut the door and made his way to the passenger side, throwing the keys to his sister as she walked by. 

Soon, the car was pulling out and on the road.

The drive was silent other than Orion’s soft cooing as classical music hummed out of one of his toys. Ezra leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. Eleanor knew he was awake as he kept lifting his coffee cup to his lips and she was shocked that he wasn’t complaining of the window being cold on his temple.

“We have our Senior Success class this morning,” Eleanor said, glancing at Ezra and adjusting the heat. 

“No way, really?” he replied sarcastically, giving her a smirk. “It’s almost as if we have this class every Monday and Wednesday.”

“Well, we’re three weeks in and we haven’t even talked about our semester project,” Eleanor rebutted. “We’re already behind the other groups.”

“No shit. Thanks for your observation.”

“Well, do you think we’ll find out what it is today?”

Ezra shrugged, sliding down in his seat and going to turn the radio on.

Eleanor quickly smacked his hand away, knowing he was trying to get her to stop talking. “Uh-uh. Driver picks the music, including if and when it goes on. This is serious, Ezra. If we don’t do well on this project, we won't graduate.”

Ezra gave an exasperated sigh. “Eleanor, I know just about as much as you do at this point. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

That seemed to ease Eleanor a bit as she gave a soft nod. After a moment of silence, Eleanor spoke again.

“We have to make sure it’s better than everyone else’s,” she told him, making a turn. “I want the scholarship.”

“I’m aware. Professor M said he was working on it being really good, so I don’t know why you’re worried,” Ezra told her, tired of talking about it so early in the morning. In a swift movement, he lurched forward and turned the radio on before Eleanor could protest. Eleanor huffed again as some type of punk music came on.

After a short drive, Eleanor pulled into the parking lot of the local university’s children center. Quickly taking Orion out of his car seat and grabbing the diaper bag they left in the car, she walked in, checked Orion in, and handed him and his diaper bag over to the lady running the center. After a brief chat and kissing Orion on the top of his head, promising to pick him up soon as he started to cry, Eleanor made her way to the exit to find Ezra already out of the car and leaning against the frame. He made eye contact with his sister when he sensed her approaching.

“How did he handle it?” 

“He gave a bit of a fight, but nothing less than normal. Are you ready for the walk?”

Ezra sighed, kicking himself off of the passenger door and handing his sister her bag. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he told her, handing over her travel mug once she got the backpack adjusted. When she nodded at him, he started walking in the opposite direction of the university’s campus.

Eleanor followed him, her footsteps matching his own. They had walked this route a thousand times before, but it felt new to Eleanor every time. The morning stars looked different each time she looked up -- it was one of her favorite things about the sky. Stars burned and died millions of miles away, but they always looked beautiful. They always led the way.

Minutes went by with Eleanor’s body almost on autopilot as she gazed upwards. She was only drawn out of it when Ezra cleared his throat.

“We’re here. Time to come back to Earth.”

Eleanor blinked at him a moment before turning her head to look at the tall structure. A small coffee shop was lined up next to bookstores, eateries, bake shops, and more. It was a little piece of the city unbeknownst to the No-Majs as it looked like a construction site. Eleanor had chuckled the first time she really thought about it because the running joke in Michigan was that there were only two seasons: winter and construction.

It had been there longer than she could remember and nobody seemed to question it. To a No-Maj’s eye, it was an unimportant plot of land surrounded by even more unimportant land. 

_He must have already said the spell_ , Eleanor thought to herself, opening the door to the coffee shop.

The warmth was the first thing the duo noticed. Warmth and the smell of cinnamon.

“Welcome to Miss Betsy’s!” called out a barista from the back once she heard the doorbell chime. Coffee was brewing and tables were cleaning themselves as the shop began its daily opening.

“Hey, Tamara,” Ezra called, slipping off his No-Maj jacket to reveal his school robes after setting his bag down. He watched his sister do the same, opting to hang hers up in the closet.

“We’re just here to get to school, no time for food,” Eleanor told the barista who could be heard rummaging in the back.

“Well, you two know the way, are y’all waiting for me to give you permission or somethin’?” she hollered. She could be heard cursing a moment later as something clashed to the ground. “Get goin’! I don’t want your momma on my ass for makin’ the two of you late again!”

Eleanor gave a hearty laugh while Ezra grabbed his bag back up and made his way to the back room, nonplussed. His sister followed him, walking into a large, barely lit room. Along the wall held roughly 6 fireplaces if you were to count the broken one on the end. Immediately, Eleanor situated herself into one of the fireplaces and grabbed floo powder from the jar next to her.

“Ilvermorny!” The handful of floo dust crashed to the ground and Eleanor was gone in the blink of an eye. Ezra followed her lead and when he appeared in one of the many floo rooms of Ilvermorny’s castle, he pulled his want out of his boot.

“ _Scourgify._ ” He chanted it twice - once on him, the second on his sister. The awful soot and dust were the worst of the floo network.

“Thanks. We need to hurry.”

“Then stop talking and let’s go.”  
“Why are you so easily annoyed by me?” Eleanor questioned, falling into step and walking side by side with Ezra down a long corridor. A multitude of other students bustled in the halls, chatting with friends or catching up on last-minute homework.

“It’s not just you,” he insisted. “Everybody annoys me. It’s nothing personal.”

Ezra walked with the confidence of a king down the halls. Eleanor often found herself being bumped into by the sea of tempered teenagers, but never when she walked with her brother. She knew he cared in his own, weird way and she knew he’d instantly react if he saw someone shove her. It’s not that she was getting bullied, she would never allow that for herself, it was just that she was quite small and easy to miss. 

They kept walking past dozens of antique photos that moved about. The walls of Ilvermorny were brightly lit with windows big enough to allow natural light instead of electricity. Large, Romanesque arches lined the hallways, making the school seem highly esteemed. Statues of the four houses lined the walls and moved in greeting with any of their students as they passed. Eleanor gave a small bow of her head to a Thunderbird statue that beat its wings at her as she walked by.

Ezra almost did the same, but rather gave a tip of his head to acknowledge a Horned Serpent that shifted its body in a slither as they passed.

At the end of a hall, a door was ajar and laughter could be heard on the inside. The joyous cackling came to a trailing giggle as the twins entered the room. The two other students were already there for Senior Success.

“What’s got you laughing like that, Juliette?” Eleanor asked, finding her seat and plopping down, turning her body to look at the other girl.

“Nothing to concern yourself with, Johnson,” the girl said, still smiling from her laughter. “You just would have had to be there, I suppose.”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes slightly and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Behind them, a boy was scribbling in his notebook, headphones in. His hand was moving so fast, you almost would have missed it. Just as Eleanor went to open her mouth to say something to him, a middle-aged man damn near skipped into the room. He removed the boy’s headphones causing the boy to glare at his back as he made his way to the front of the room.

Eleanor stared at the man with a raised eyebrow. Juliette gave a look of curiosity while Ezra simply gave more interest in the drawing.

“Akihiko, eyes up,” the man started, causing the boy to set his pencil down and look towards the front. Professor M grinned at all of them knowingly.

“Are you gonna finally tell us what our project will be on?” Eleanor asked, folding her pale arms in front of her chest.

“Of course, what kind of professor would I be if I didn’t?”

“The same professor you’ve been for weeks now?” Juliette offered, testing his patience. He simply kept grinning.

Professor M ignored Juliette’s remark, running his hand excitedly through his burnt red hair. He held out his hand and opened his palm, a necklace falling from the confinement of his skin and dangling from his ring finger.

“What is that?” Akihiko asked, leaning forward to assess the spherical object hanging from a chain.

Eleanor squinted her eyes as she looked, and then they suddenly went wide. “Professor… is that…. Is that a… time turner?”

“No way,” Ezra snorted, leaning back in his chair. “Those haven’t been used in years. He’s not insane enough, and neither is the school, to allow a bunch of drooling teenagers do a project that involves going back several hours.”

“You severely misjudge me, Mr. Johnson,” Professor M told him. “It is a time turner, but it’s also the key to something much bigger.”

“And what might that be?” Juliette asked, a grin on her face. “I, for one, am excited no matter what.”

“Good, Ms. Cordova,” the professor said, nodding once. “Because I’m not dumb enough to let you go back several hours.”

The four teenagers simply stared at him, waiting for the point of no return. A wide smile returned to Professor M’s face.

“But I am dumb enough to let you go back several years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, folks! I plan on having the second chapter up by the end of next week!
> 
> -Seph


	3. Adventure Awaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four students learn of their upcoming assignment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I’m back and better than ever with a new instalment! I want to continue keeping this story updated weekly, and hopefully, I can have a chapter added every Thursday but I can’t promise anything. I just started writing articles that are also due weekly and it’s just a lot of writing.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you folks enjoy this chapter!
> 
> -Seph
> 
> I do not own Harry Potter nor any of its related works, but we been knew that.

****

PREVIOUSLY . . .

****

****  


_Eleanor squinted her eyes as she looked, and then they suddenly went wide. “Professor… is that…. Is that a… time turner?”_

_“No way,” Ezra snorted, leaning back in his chair. “Those haven’t been used in years. He’s not insane enough, and neither is the school, to allow a bunch of drooling teenagers do a project that involves going back several hours.”_

_“You severely misjudge me, Mr. Johnson,” Professor M told him. “It is a time turner, but it’s also the key to something much bigger.”_

_“And what might that be?” Juliette asked, a grin on her face. “I, for one, am excited no matter what.”_

_“Good, Ms. Cordova,” the professor said, nodding once. “Because I’m not dumb enough to let you go back several hours.”_

_The four teenagers simply stared at him, waiting for the point of no return. A wide smile returned to Professor M’s face._

_“But I am dumb enough to let you go back several years.”_

****

**. . .**

Silence filled the room for many moments as all sets of eyes stared each other down. One particular set of eyes was filled with glee while the rest looked either horrified, confused, or a mixture of both. The silence was broken when Akihiko tilted his head back and let out a loud, from-the-belly, laugh.

Furrowing her brows, Eleanor turned to stare at him. “What in the Gods’ names are you possibly laughing at?”

“Oh, c’mon,” Akihiko started after calming himself down to small bursts of giggles. He made arm gestures to the time turner. “This is nothing more than a joke. It can’t be serious.”

Ezra, who was leaning back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, tilted his head a bit. “I don’t know, man. He looks pretty serious right about now.”

“I am serious,” Professor M insisted, crossing his legs and leaning against his desk. “Although, I do have a backup assignment if this falls through. You guys were telling me how you wanted to top all of your other peers with this assignment and I’ve found a way.”

“Going back in time wasn’t necessarily one of the ideas we were planning on,” Eleanor started, leaning forward on her desk, shaking her head incredulously. 

“That’s because we weren’t planning on anything,” Juliette insisted, rolling her eyes at the group. “I think it’s a great idea and it sounds like I’m the only one on board. We haven’t even heard the entire plan.”

“Exactly!” the professor exclaimed, pushing himself to stand. “You’re already creating a ruckus when it hasn’t been explained to you in detail.” He walked around his desk and opened the bottom drawer, grabbing a few stacks of paper. He made his way to each desk and dropped a number of papers down. 

“The first packet of paper you see is my guidelines and expectations,” he said, his voice shifting into educator mode as he set down the last stack on Juliette’s table. “The second is a detailed report of what I expect from each of you, the last few pages end with the final collaboration project. You will each be conducting your own ethnographic research that will eventually be finalized into a single, polished draft.”

“That’s it? That’s the big assignment?” Eleanor huffed, raising an eyebrow. “An ethnographic report?”

“I mean, it makes sense though, doesn’t it?” Akihiko piped in. “Professor M specializes in anthropology. He’s been writing these his whole career.”

“There are many different skills to be gained from researching groups of people,” the professor stated, picking up his own copy to read with them. “One of them is developing a clear, detailed ethnography. I will be helping you with your research skills because it’s one of the only skill sets you four have in common in regards to your future plans.”

“Hmm… I guess you’re right,” Eleanor murmured, thinking it through. She knew what she wanted to do with her life, and she wanted to be among the stars. If she couldn’t, her next plan was to shoot for NASA. She didn’t know about the other three, but she assumed Ezra wanted to do something regarding chemistry or potions. He had always loved science. 

“Which means that before you four head off to university, it’ll be good for you to develop said skills. My job will be to guide you, cover your tracks, and make sure you don’t do anything too damaging to the future, or in this case, the present,” Professor M stated, flipping the pages. “As all of you know, I am one of the few anthropology scholars in the nation that specializes in time travel. There is potential for this assignment to uncover many hidden secrets about our wizarding counterparts across the sea.”

“Which counterparts?” Juliette piped up, tying her curled black hair into a loose bun. “We have multiple all over the world.”

“Why aren’t we staying in the Americas for this project? Wouldn’t that be more convenient?” Eleanor asked, grabbing a neon green highlighter out of her bag to mark up her packets.

“Why are you complaining, Eleanor?” Juliette retorted, looking to her left to meet the gaze of the other girl. “We’d be going back in time and across the Atlantic. People would kill to be in our shoes.”

“Indeed,” the professor said, catching the attention of all four students. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’ve been cultivating this project for years before I even knew you four. 

You would be staying at Hogwarts, the British school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have already filed paperwork and visited the Headmaster of Hogwarts. You will be under the guise of honor students who are studying abroad, which isn’t technically a lie. You must be very conscious of what you say. You will be of a different time and you mustn't let people find out.” 

Professor M picked up the bottle of water off of and took a sip before continuing, “As you know, Hogwarts is separated into four houses like we are. If all goes as plan, each one of you will be sorted into a different house. Instead of the house picking you as they do here, an object they call ‘The Sorting Hat’ will be placed upon your head and will call out which house it feels best suits you. Although there is a long-standing argument about whether their houses and ours are equivalent, it’s best you know what they stand for.”

The professor held up his wand as if it were a muggle remote and did small flicks while murmuring under his breath. Behind him and in front of the students, a large projection showed on the wall. The beginning image showed a castle, much like the one they were inside of currently.

“This,” he started. “Is Hogwarts. It is located somewhere in the highlands of Scotland. There is a body of water called ‘The Great Lake’ and a forest entitled ‘The Forbidden Forest’. As the name suggests, it is forbidden to all students, including you four. There will be a welcoming feast after the train ride and you will be sorted there with their first years. In American terminology, essentially, you will be grouped with the 6th graders for a short period of time.”

“Disgusting,” Juliette blanched, making faux gagging noises. Akihiko chuckled at her antics.

Professor M looked at her with curiosity and confusion. “I’m sorry, what’s wrong with 6th graders? You were all sixth graders once.”

“Well, yeah, but have you met sixth grade Juliette?” Juliette asked. “If given the chance, I would fight sixth grade me. No question about it.”

Snorting, the professor moved on. “Anyways, you’ll be sorted into one of four houses. Gryffindor, the courageous; Ravenclaw, the wise; Slytherin, the cunning; or Hufflepuff, the loyal. Now, their school takes these houses seriously. You can earn points all year long for your house and the winner at the end of the year will win the ‘House Cup’. It’s a huge competition. You can also lose points for disobedience or rule breaking. Most of this will be explained to you in the welcoming feast, but there’s something vastly different that you must know.”

Ezra, the quietest of the group, leaned forward with a concerned expression. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Unfortunately, it is not good news,” the professor told him. “Our school was co-founded by a No-Maj, and we are very welcoming of all witches and wizards. Some of the European school still harbor resentment towards No-Majs and refuse to let ‘muggleborn’ attend, such as the Scandinavian school called Durmstrang. Muggleborn is their term for witches and wizards born to No-Maj parents.”

“So what you’re saying is that Ezra and I may be ostracized?” Eleanor asked, frowning. The swell of her cheeks were turning pink in embarrassment and anger.

“Well, yes and no. Hogwarts is open to any witch and wizard alike, but one of their founders, Salazar Slytherin, wanted the school to be only for ‘pureblood’ families. The other four detested this and wouldn’t allow that, saying that it should be a school open for all witches and wizards. The school itself holds no opinion of any of your blood statuses. That doesn’t students won't. Slytherin is especially notorious for housing purebloods with ill feelings towards No-Majs, or muggles, and children born from them. While blood puritans aren’t fond of ‘halfbloods’, they often accept them easier than they do the muggleborns.”

“This is a lot to process,” Akihiko breathed out. “This is a much bigger task than I originally thought.”

“It sounds interesting,” Juliette shrugged, gathering her papers together. “I think it’d be a great opportunity for us.”

“I agree,” Professor M stated. His eyes glanced at the ticking clock on the wall. He tucked his wand into the inside of his coat pocket and folded his hands in front of himself. “Well, you’d best be off. Your second class will be starting soon. Take these papers home, discuss them with your parents and each other, and let me know on Wednesday what you think. I’d like to get things started as soon as possible if everyone agrees. You are dismissed.”

The four students packed their things up and stood to their feet. Saying their goodbyes to their professor, they made their way out of the room. The halls were flooded with students bustling to get to their next classes, and Eleanor raised her hand up to the group to bid a goodbye.

“See ya, Eleanor,” Akihiko called as she strolled off. Ezra watched the other boy carefully, slightly narrowing his eyes as he spoke, “So, what do you guys think of the project?”

Juliette started leading the trio down the hall. None of them had the same class, but it was in the general direction. She grinned at Ezra. “I think it sounds adventurous.”

Akihiko laughed, not realizing the fading look Ezra was giving him. “I never thought, you, a Wampus, the most adventuristic house of the four, would ever say anything is an adventure. Never would have guessed it.”

Juliette shrugged, smiling. “Come on, we always hear about the latest trouble that Hogwarts has fallen into and the students who save it. It’s damn near a tradition. Doesn’t that sound fascinating?”

“Compared to this place?” Ezra asked, shoving his hands in his pant pockets, “almost anything sounds fascinating. The only interesting thing we’ve got is when we can place bets on the breakup cycle of Madison Harper and her next plaything.”

Akihiko wrinkled his nose. “‘Plaything’? Really? That’s the best thing you could come up with?”

“Are you saying it’s not the truth?” Ezra retorted, looking at the boy.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t. That’s just a dehumanizing way to word it.”

Juliette rolled her eyes. “Alright, you two. We’re gonna be late to class if we keep bickering over Harper’s love life.”

Ezra shrugged and waved goodbye to the two, eventually making his way far enough that his figure couldn’t be seen. Akihiko followed suit, turning to the right and down a narrow hallway while Juliette sauntered into her Charms class.

****

**. . .**

As the day came to an end, Ezra found himself walking towards one of the many floo rooms. He was grateful that Ilvermorny hadn’t forced older students to participate in the boarding process. He had always hated being confined in the Thunderbird wing of the school and unable to see his sister, though he’d never admit that to her.

Stepping into the large room, silence filled the space as student after student called out to their home base. He walked to the farthest fireplace and leaned against the wall next to it, checking his watch. As always, Eleanor was running late and Ezra deduced it was because she was talking with one of her professors. He nodded politely to the people who passed him, his warm, honey hair falling into his eyes.

Minutes later, Eleanor came rushing into the room, red in the face, and breathless. She looked around for her brother and walked up to him quickly. “Ezra! I am so sorry for being late. I had to talk to Professor Montgomery about the potions homework and I-”

“Forget it, you know I’m not mad,” Ezra told her, offering a hint of a smile. His sister blew out a breath of relief and hoisted her bag onto her back.

“We have to pick up Orion,” she reminded him, stepping into the fireplace.

“I’m aware,” he told her, offering her the pot of floo powder. She nodded at him and took a handful. Loud and clear, her voice rung out to return to Miss Betsy’s Coffee House.

Ezra watched his sister become engulfed in flame and smoke. He recalled how he had sobbed the first time they tried it, begging his sister to stay with him. She had told him that it was alright to try new things, that they would be together before he could say her name. He had felt so small back then, so powerless, so helpless. His sister had been his only anchor to his strength.

He made his way into the fireplace, ducking his head to fit properly. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about their upcoming project and how much his sister must be concealing her anxiety. He knew that this was her chance, her chance to make her name for herself when she came back home. Her chance to put herself on the scholars' list for different universities.

With the determination of a brilliant moon and the raging stars, he grabbed a handful of floo powder and followed after his sister. He felt himself being surrounded in darkness, but the only thing he was sure of was that he was going to make sure she didn’t miss her opportunity.


End file.
